There was some discussion as to whether the purple 'Hibotan' or "Moon Cactus" could survive on roots of it's own, as purple pigmentation doesn't mean a lack of chlorophyll, whereas the yellows, reds, and pinks are completely lacking any chlorophyll through a mutation. They therefore have to be grated to stock that does produce chlorophyll to survive, but what about the purple one?
I found a purple "Moon Cactus" in Home Depot after my G. mihanovichii var friedrichii succumbed to rot this summer (sigh, was my favorite one, almost gave up cactus growing for a minute there, but have since learned to alter my potting media and watering in this environment,) because this was as good a time as any to give it a shot. I removed the cactus and threw out the graft Hylocereus, let the Gymnocalycium's base heal and dry over for a few weeks. Then I just nestled it gently into some soil mix and let it sit for a while in some bright shade. I lightly watered the soil about once a month as the humidity was pretty high. Sure enough, the little cactus is now firmly rooted into the soil. Now it's trying to bloom.
So now I've got a small Gymnocalycium mihanovivhii var. friedrichii 'Hibotan'.....ha, can it's name get longer? The stalk and outer part of the flower is almost a violent shade of pink, more neon than a standard G. mihanovichii var. friedrichii. It's a little on the dehydrated side from having to make roots from a scarred over base, so now that it's settled in, maybe next year it'll grow some and flower better.
I felt a little bad for throwing out the Hylocereus base this cactus was growing on, but I already have a Hylocereus 'Halley's Comet' which is getting outrageously big. Then I was grocery shopping and guess what I found for sale....
Dragon fruit! Yup, this is the fruit of the Hylocereus undatus base plant that I threw out. Had I let it live on and flower, I'd get something similar fruit wise out of it. I love growing cacti from seed, so I was tempted to grow some of these seeds, but I don't have the space for them! Also, speaking of space, if anyone in the US is interested in a small cutting of my Hylocereus undatus x polyrhizus 'Halley's Comet', email me, I'll send you a piece for cost of shipping. They root easily from cuttings.
That's so cool that you got it to grow Melody, nicely done :D
ReplyDeleteI've always wondered what's going on with those cacti... I've got to admit, since they're so cliche and artificial looking I've never liked them much, but now I want to buy a purple one and try doing what you've done... or I wonder if I could just buy one and bury the Hylocereus part below ground.... hmmmm.... I might give it a go and let yyou know what happens :D
Oh and I just thought I'd update you... thanks to you I'm getting stabbed a lot more than I used to, but I have few bugs around ;)..... (that's code for the Carnivores and Cacti are multiplying a lot).... and I blame you for it :D
Haha, yes dangerous plants. I go back and forth with collecting whatever I'm most interested with at the time. The orchids are expanding at a dangerous rate this year due to all the society meeting, shows, etc. that go on all year over here.
DeleteAnyway, the Hylocereus will grow real well on it's own, they're jungle cacti, lots of water and sun and they get out of control quickly. The Gymnocalycium isn't the fastest growing cactus, but I've grown slower, so I can't complain! Try it, take them apart and let them shine on their own!
From what I have read the purple 'Moon Cactus' contains Chlorophyll. I recenctly degrafted my purple 'Moon Cactus' off its' host and nestled it on top of Cactus soil. I am now waiting to see what happens. I also have another purlple 'Moon Cactus' that I will not take directly of the host but cut just below the 'Moon Cactus' through the host. I will let that dry out and then nestle into Cactus soil. It will be interesting to see how each cutting copes with degrafting. I live in Sydney, Australia. We are just coming the end of winter heading into spring and then summer. This should help in the regrating process.
DeleteI would have expected the purple Gymnocalycium mihanovichii to do fine, on the grounds that it always seemed pretty clear to me that they had both the purple pigment and chlorophyll. Maybe that's more obvious if you don't give them enough light. (e.g.)
ReplyDeleteNice to have proof that it's possible to separate them, though now I wonder why nobody sells the purple ones on their own, without the graft. I mean, it's not like the Hylocereus part does much for their attractiveness, and the purple ones are the only ones I ever see blooming, so they must do it pretty freely. So why aren't the marketers on this? Nice dark purple pot, maybe cover the top of the soil with some colored gravel, slap a $19.99 sticker on it and go. Seems like it would work.
I expected it to work with the purple too, I just kept seeing "might" or "maybe" when people discuss them growing on their own. I also tried a red one once a long time ago to see if the theory that they could start producing chlorophyll on their own held any water, but from what I've read since, that isn't possible with these and that was a waste of time.
DeleteSelling these on their own is not a bad idea! You could probably make some real money off something like that. Like those breast cancer pink blooming lillies that were around not that long ago. They were in pink pots, with big pink ribbons, and money probably going to Susan G. Komen "awareness" instead of actual breast cancer research. Come to think of it, those were about $19.99 too. Shoot, you should email Costa Farms about this idea, like today, before somebody else steals it.
I love reading different blogs to log for new ideas and suggestions on plants that I should try...thank you for a wonderful post, the photos were great.
ReplyDeleteHi there I just stumbled upon your post. Can you please tell me how long your "moon cactus" has lived??
ReplyDeleteIt's still alive and growing. So when did I post this..2013...so it's been growing fine on it's own for 3+ years now.
DeleteThx for the reply! I was sad to hear that moon cactus often don't have a long lifespan. But that only seems to be the case for those that are still grafted. So it's great to hear that yours is still doing well.
DeleteOne more question. Do you trim off the polyps or keep them, or yours don't have polyps? Thanks!
This only applies to the purple moon cactus, as it does have chlorophyll. No other color will survive long. The base of the graft, the Hylocereus outgrows the Gymnocalycium and they separate. If you know how to re-graft, you can keep it growing indefinitly though, grafted to a root stock. The yellow, red, pink, (etc.) colors of these cannot produce chlorophyll due to a mutation, and cannot live on their own like these purple ones can.
DeleteI'm not sure what you mean by polyps?
So the red and the yellow ones will survive on its own for how long?
DeleteCan it survive several months???
I'm referring to the smaller cacti growing out of the sides of the original cactus. It seems to be common for grafted cactus but not so much on those that grow on their own.
ReplyDeleteOh ok, the pups that grow from the areoles at the sides. That's pretty normal, mine just hasn't done that though. Other cacti I have do and I usually just leave them on unless it's something I want to root and send to a friend.
DeleteHow do you root the pups?
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